The only constant is change, continuing change, inevitable change, that is the dominant factor in society today. No sensible decision can be made any longer without taking into account not only the world as it is, but the world as it will be. ~ Isaac Asimov

As most of my faithful readers know, we moved out of a big house into a smaller house. During the move we were without Internet for a week. I do have to qualify that, I did have a smart phone and a 3G enabled iPad II which allowed us to carry on with business. But that was not a great experience. The smart fone is slow (compared to FiOS in our house) and the iPad *hates* my (free) email service, Hotmail.

I learned a few new things during this move:

1. Label all power transformers/cords. Trust me on this. I have a box of so many that I will have to figure out if I need any more. Remotes are also in this category. With six (down from eight in the old house) entertainment locations (family room, den, sewing, and two guest rooms), there are so many remotes, I’m beginning to think they procreate like rabbits!

2. Wireless adapters exist for desk tops! No, really. My new house didn’t have LAN run through it like my old house. WTH? So I did some research and discovered they now have wireless adapters in a thumb drive format. Netgear has two models, one for computers within 150 feet of the router and the NETGEAR Wireless-N 300 USB Adapter which is good for up to 300 feet.

I *was* going to run a net cable through my Dad’s and my new house. Now we are both hooked up and running LANs through walls, or in the case of my dad, via a cord running down the staircase, is a thing of the past.

3. After 11 years in our old house, we had over twice the number of cords and power cables behind Suzy and my computers. Moving got us back to just using what we needed. I even found gear behind my desk that were duplicates of what I have been using like video camera for Skype.

More info about the free Skype service. Video phone for the masses!

So although I was able to work through selling and buying a home, two home closings, coordinating with movers, security services, insurance, and cable ISP on my phone and iPad II, I really prefer being at my desktop for big projects like writing this blog.

Update: My sax-playing, Microsoft PM friend Scott Dart adds: You might also try Powerline Internet for those hard to reach spots. Our condo isn’t that big, but we have a hard time getting wireless coverage everywhere. Netgear’s powerline adaptors are our current solution and so far working pretty reliably. C/net rates this solution very high.

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About Gandalfe

Just an itinerant saxophonist trying to find life between the changes. I have retired from the Corps of Engineers and Microsoft. I am an admin on the Woodwind Forum, run the Microsoft Jumpin' Jive Orchestra, and enjoy time with family and friends.

2 Responses to What I learned with No Internet for a week

glad to see you back at it. WordPress has gotten really bad with the ads. I guess I’m going to have to pay the add free monthly fee. I think people that own the blog don’t see the adds but other people do when they view the blog. For example this blog article has three large ads in it. I’m going to take a screenshot so you can see it.